Medical Marijuana

[Drake]

I am not sure where you were from when that occurred but I can tell you that your above statement is generally false.

I spent a year as a bar certified student intern with the Public Defender. I was in court every day representing people for "crimes" like the one you described. We were paid an hourly wage, albeit a very small hourly wage, but it had nothing to do with getting our clients to accept a plea negotiation.

Under the facts you stated about the bomb threat the search of the cars seems proper and within the exception to the warrant requirements.

Your state either has very strict marijuana laws or your were sentenced very harshly if this was your first offense. Generally, similar cases I handled the client received an initial offer of 30 days of "work project" which is out of custody working with the local sheriff's dept. picking up trash on the highway. Generally, that then would be reduced by a third and then if you made no trouble for the Sheriff you were released from work project within 10 - 15 days.

i very well could be mistaken about the court appointed lawyer thing. just what i heard. i live in texas. my first day in court, i saw a girl in college get sentenced to 6 months for her first offence for poss. of an ounce. (she also ran her car into a tree) some of the judges are real asshole about pot. and i had one of them. a lot of people end up with 6 months probation for the first offense with a decent lawyer. o, and my liscence was suspended for a year. ANY drug conviction in the state of texas, lisence gets suspended for a year. DWI's, its just 3 months. our country as a whole is more strict on trafficing marijuana than it is on murder. its just rediculous.

[guenzak]

I am in no way straight laced and I used to smoke pot all the time when I was younger but I have to disagree with Drake on a couple of points. When you say that you are not hurting anyone else by smoking pot that is a bit short sighted. The money that you spend may initially go into the hands of your friendly neighborhood aquaintance but if you follow thet trail all the way the money ends up funding foreign dealers, growers, er organized criminals. They are involved in all sorts of activities including murder, child slavery, etc. to advance their money making ventures. I no longer smoke pot because it led me to other, more dangerous drugs but if I did decide that I wanted to smoke again I would not; simply because of where the money goes. And as long as it is illegal that is where the drug money will continue to go Just something to consider.

Secondly when you say the reason they busted you is all about the money that is not quite correct. If the government were to legalize pot and tax it they would make far more money than they do off of the fines they currently enforce...

[QuietC]

If they're so worried about the money from pot going to other countries and "supporting terrorist" (which i think is a load of crap they just keep saying in order to keep the people of our country scared and that way they can get the people to agree with what they do)then they should watch our borders better and not let it in our country in the first place.
As of weed being a gate way drug, it wasnt that way for me, i've tried alot of things, almost everything out there, but it wasn't because of weed, it was because i wanted to try it.

but then again, thats just my thinking. legalize weed, then the gov. can control it and then they dont have to complain and make of slogans like supporting terrorist, make harsher penalties if your out driving while high or maybe even in public, and make harsher penalties on the harder drugs.

[guenzak]

(which i think is a load of crap they just keep saying in order to keep the people of our country scared and that way they can get the people to agree with what they do)

I agree totally that our current gov is saying things trying to keep us scared to further their agenda but if you notice I purposly left out terrorism when I mentioned what drug money goes to fund. There is no way to deny that organized crime is the biggest benefactor of the money generated by drug use.

Legalizing it and controling it is an option but it is addictive. Well so are tobacco and alcohol and there in lies the debate.

[QuietC]

i understand some people can get addicted to things, but i don't think you can get addicted to weed. Then again, i don't feel sorry for people that get addicted to anything, they should have better self control.

[Roham]

i understand some people can get addicted to things, but i don't think you can get addicted to weed. Then again, i don't feel sorry for people that get addicted to anything, they should have better self control.

I also very strongly agree with this entire post

[labmonkey]

i understand some people can get addicted to things, but i don't think you can get addicted to weed. Then again, i don't feel sorry for people that get addicted to anything, they should have better self control.

any substance that changes your state of mind can be addictive. and I'm not trying to sound like an ass about it, but your whole post shows very typical misunderstanding of addiction in general.

[Roham]

any substance that changes your state of mind can be addictive. and I'm not trying to sound like an ass about it, but your whole post shows very typical misunderstanding of addiction in general.

Actually, anything can be addictive. Including chocolate. And that doesn't change your state of mind. I agree with his post because it doesn't affect me in any way shape or form if I go without smoking pot for any amount of time. Now, with cigarettes people say they feel physical withdrawal when not smoking. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked a cig since, and I personally don't think it was even really physically addictive. It's all mind over matter

[Drake]

I am in no way straight laced and I used to smoke pot all the time when I was younger but I have to disagree with Drake on a couple of points. When you say that you are not hurting anyone else by smoking pot that is a bit short sighted. The money that you spend may initially go into the hands of your friendly neighborhood aquaintance but if you follow thet trail all the way the money ends up funding foreign dealers, growers, er organized criminals. They are involved in all sorts of activities including murder, child slavery, etc. to advance their money making ventures. I no longer smoke pot because it led me to other, more dangerous drugs but if I did decide that I wanted to smoke again I would not; simply because of where the money goes. And as long as it is illegal that is where the drug money will continue to go Just something to consider.

Secondly when you say the reason they busted you is all about the money that is not quite correct. If the government were to legalize pot and tax it they would make far more money than they do off of the fines they currently enforce...

i don't buy pot that's grown in dirt that came from mexico. i buy pot that is grown in water by someone in my city. and perhaps it is not all about the money. but regardless what the reasoning is, it is senseless. if they would legalize it and tax it, then that would reduce the money getting to these murderers you're so worried about.


you not buying a bag of pot won't stop someone from being murdered or free a slave, nor will it reduce the chances of either of these.

we should stop buying gas, so innocent middle easterners will stop being murdered.

[QuietC]

i buy pot that is grown in water by someone in my city..

haha

not to get off topic, but people think they've done a better job on the border control, thats a load of crap

BOSTON -- The case of a man arrested in Massachusetts in connection with a pair of brutal killings in New Brunswick is raising questions about security along Maine's border with Canada.

In April, Gregory Despres hitchhiked to the border crossing at Calais carrying a homemade sword, a hatchet, a knife, brass knuckles and a chain saw stained by what appeared to be blood. Customs officials confiscated the weapons and fingerprinted Despres, but allowed him to enter the United States. The murders weren't discovered until the following day.

Despres was arrested later that month in Massachusetts and is now awaiting extradition.

Bill Anthony of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Despres, a native of Canada, couldn't be detained at Calais because he's a naturalized U.S. citizen and wasn't wanted on any criminal charges

alright, if a guy like this can get through our borders, theres no way they're even close to stopping any kind of drugs from ciming into our country

[cigarsarge]

The problem with pot is the violence that surrounds it. At levels higher than the casual smoker or the $10-$20 a bag seller that sells to his buds, violence surrounds it. How many people have been assaulted or killed just to get you that blunt you just rolled?

I have been on many drug raids. In almost every one that involves sale of meth, crack, oxycotin, ect. we generally find pot for sale also. That is one hell of a dangerous atmosphere to go to buy a little pot.

On the other hand as a Law Enforcement Officer I encounter many people under various drugs. Alchohol, meth, cocaine users are generally more dangerous. I have had very few violent events with pot smokers.

I generally am not on the lookout for Johnny Toker smoking a blunt at his house. I have much better things to do than hook someone up for that. If you bring it on the street it becomes my business.

I am not here to judge my friends on this board. You gotta do what you gotta do. Just don't be bluntin up those Opus and PAMs.

[hex1848]

The problem with pot is the violence that surrounds it. At levels higher than the casual smoker or the $10-$20 a bag seller that sells to his buds, violence surrounds it. How many people have been assaulted or killed just to get you that blunt you just rolled?

The violence that surrounds the black market could be easily avoided by decriminalizing and commercializing the sale of marijuana. The money saved by emptying thousands of jail beds and the money gained by taxation would be astronomical.

[Drake]

The violence that surrounds the black market could be easily avoided by decriminalizing and commercializing the sale of marijuana. The money saved by emptying thousands of jail beds and the money gained by taxation would be astronomical.

well, the violence will be there no matter what. if drugs were gone, the greedy, easy money seeking, drug dealer types will always be there. and will kill someone for something of value. marijuana doesn't cause that.

[ggiese]

The violence that surrounds the black market could be easily avoided by decriminalizing and commercializing the sale of marijuana. The money saved by emptying thousands of jail beds and the money gained by taxation would be astronomical.

Hex - couldn't disagree with you more. If anything, I believe the violence would INCREASE as cartels and syndicates establish themselves in the market. If you looked at the history of prohibition (with alcohol), a lot of violence surrounded that market when it first becamse legal as gangsters staked their territorial claims. And violence still exists today (although you'd never know it...) While it's not publiciized nearly as much, the Chicago mafia is still active and killing people over such things as prostitution, gambling, drugs and of course BOOZE. Hell, they even get touchy over juke boxes (if you don't believe me, open a bar in the Chicago area and buy your own box)!!!

I agree with Sarge - while I rarely get into a violent confrontation with a pothead, I do commonly see pot around other drugs that are seized. Sorry, Jaewing, but marijuana is most definitely a "gateway" drug. I don't know of any heroin addict, crack head, or other heavy drug user that didn't start with marijuana. While most think they can control it, the reality is - many cannot. If you've seen the things that Sarge, BK and myself have seen with individuals who are drug addicted, this discussion wouldn't even be happening... It turns my stomach and makes my job miserable. When little kids ask me what the worst things I've seen, I'd say about 80% is related to drug use.

I say - forget about marijuana and smoke a stogie!!! That's what takes me to another place!

[Drake]

The problem with pot is the violence that surrounds it. At levels higher than the casual smoker or the $10-$20 a bag seller that sells to his buds, violence surrounds it. How many people have been assaulted or killed just to get you that blunt you just rolled?

I have been on many drug raids. In almost every one that involves sale of meth, crack, oxycotin, ect. we generally find pot for sale also. That is one hell of a dangerous atmosphere to go to buy a little pot.

On the other hand as a Law Enforcement Officer I encounter many people under various drugs. Alchohol, meth, cocaine users are generally more dangerous. I have had very few violent events with pot smokers.

I generally am not on the lookout for Johnny Toker smoking a blunt at his house. I have much better things to do than hook someone up for that. If you bring it on the street it becomes my business.

I am not here to judge my friends on this board. You gotta do what you gotta do. Just don't be bluntin up those Opus and PAMs.

yeah, that's what a couple of my cop friends say. that no one gets busted for just smoking pot at their home. which i have never heard of happening.

[Roham]

i don't buy pot that's grown in dirt that came from mexico. i buy pot that is grown in water by someone in my city. and perhaps it is not all about the money. but regardless what the reasoning is, it is senseless. if they would legalize it and tax it, then that would reduce the money getting to these murderers you're so worried about.


you not buying a bag of pot won't stop someone from being murdered or free a slave, nor will it reduce the chances of either of these.

we should stop buying gas, so innocent middle easterners will stop being murdered.

Good post. Agree with every point in it